Infiltration

Chu Qing had originally been focused on Chu Yunfei's grand banquet.

If this Itinerant Doctor had never appeared, all he needed to do was send Chu Yunfei a message.

But now that this variable had emerged, he needed to alter his objective. As he was pondering it, he suddenly heard this news.

And this piece of gossip had somehow landed right on his own head.

"So she said something like that, did she?"

Chu Qing could not help but laugh.

Young Miss Wu was named Wu Qianhuan, the only daughter of Wu Ganqi, Lord of Heavenly Dance City.

She had been a favored daughter of heaven from childhood, showered with countless affections, and was two years younger than Chu Qing.

Their friendship could be traced back a long, long time... back to when Wu Qianhuan ran around bare-bottomed with her hair in double buns, chasing after him through the streets and helping him commit every evil under the sun.

What people commonly called childhood sweethearts.

The Chu Family was the foremost lineage in Heavenly Dance City, and it often shared honor and disgrace with Wu Ganqi.

After all, in this jianghu that devoured people without even spitting out the bones, how could Wu Ganqi withstand the storms blowing in from all eight directions without other allies?

Thus, the two families had always been on good terms.

Wu Qianhuan was two years younger than Chu Qing, and the little girl in his memories had been utterly detestable.

When they were young, she loved following him around. Whatever he did, she did too.

It made Chu Qing thoroughly sick of her, yet no matter what he did, he could not shake off this little tail.

Later, after she began practicing martial arts, Chu Qing disliked her even more.

Her talent and comprehension far surpassed his. At first, he could still suppress her by relying on his two extra years of training, but later he could no longer hold her down. Children fought without restraint, and Chu Qing was always beaten black and blue by her.

Later still... the two families arranged their marriage.

To the original owner of this body, this marriage was not merely incomprehensible—it was a bolt from the blue.

But Chu Qing now understood that Chu Yunfei had been paving a broad road for his future.

Chu Tian could inherit everything in the Chu Family; his future had long since been decided.

Chu Fan had entered the Great Easy Sect, and with his talent, there was naturally nothing to worry about... only this youngest son, who could achieve neither literary nor martial success, had a worrying future.

While Chu Yunfei was alive, Chu Qing could continue being a carefree wastrel in the Chu Family.

But what would happen after the family estate was handed over to Chu Tian?

Many things could change. Chu Tian would marry as well—what then of the relationship between uncle and sister-in-law?

If they were not close, and she whispered pillow talk into Chu Tian's ear every day, then without their old father's restraint, no matter how much Chu Tian loved and protected his younger brother, cracks would inevitably form over time.

Once he incurred Chu Tian's disgust, Chu Qing's good days would truly be over.

To avoid such a thing, Chu Yunfei had sought another way out for Chu Qing.

The fact that he had been willing to swallow his pride and approach Wu Ganqi with a marriage proposal showed just how painstakingly he had planned this.

First, it could bind the two families even closer together. Second, Wu Qianhuan was Wu Ganqi's only daughter. After Wu Ganqi passed away a hundred years from now, would not this vast Heavenly Dance City all belong to Wu Qianhuan?

As her husband, no matter how useless Chu Qing was, his future would not be too bad.

Besides, the Chu Family stood behind Chu Qing.

Even if Wu Qianhuan came to despise Chu Qing after their marriage, she would not dare go too far.

At the very least, there would be some hope for the future.

The original owner did not understand any of this, so he felt even more stifled. He thought his father did not understand his soaring ambitions, and the idea of running away from home was born.

Of course, how much of that was because he feared being pinned down and beaten by that yellow-haired little girl every day after marrying her was open to interpretation.

In any case, that was how it happened.

He simply had not expected this matter to have such a great impact on Wu Qianhuan.

She had even said something about the shame of the Chu Clan being engraved upon her heart...

Could that little brat be putting on an act? From what I remember of her, she's proud and arrogant. She shouldn't approve of this marriage either.

By now, Chu Qing had gathered the information he wanted, so he casually tossed down the money for his tea.

Once he left the teahouse, he put Wu Qianhuan out of his mind.

He strolled along the main road, calculating his plans as he went. He bought several fresh peaches from roadside stalls, eating while he pondered.

If it's him, I can more or less guess what he plans to do tomorrow.

But Mirror of Sin failed this time. Their next move will likely be even harder to guard against... Who exactly is the person behind the scenes who wants Chu Yunfei dead? Does the old man have any idea?

Looks like there's quite a lot to do tomorrow.

Hm. Tomorrow, many cooks and shop assistants from Zhiwei Restaurant and Green Bamboo Pavilion will be going to the Chu Family's kitchen to help. The kitchen is close to the rear courtyard. Perhaps I can use the opportunity to slip in and do something.

Once he had made up his mind, his movements became even more unhurried.

He casually browsed a few shops and bought some things before finally renting a room at Eight Directions Inn.

Nothing happened that night. Before dawn the next day, Chu Qing was already up.

He had changed into a set of black night-traveling clothes.

While the sky was still dark, he moved beneath the cover of night. In no more than a moment, he arrived at a narrow alley.

Footsteps rose and fell in succession, and a voice urged them on.

"Move it, move it! The Chu Family is holding a banquet today. By daybreak, the continuous feast must be laid out.

"The Chu Family is renowned far and wide. If we handle this order well, everyone will get reward money. We can't miss the hour."

They were people from Zhiwei Restaurant.

And there were quite a few of them. Aside from the cooks, there were many shop assistants as well.

Behind the shop assistants came porters carrying shoulder poles.

Some of those porters carried firewood. The Chu Family would be laying out a continuous feast for three days and three nights, so naturally, firewood was indispensable.

Others carried wine. Zhiwei Restaurant's most famous liquor was Immortal's Drunkenness.

No banquet in Heavenly Dance City was complete without it. The Chu Family had ordered a great deal this time, so there were naturally many porters.

This was within Chu Qing's expectations.

He quietly watched the group pass through the narrow alley. Then his body tilted, and he swooped down directly from atop the wall like a great goose gliding through the air. With a sudden turn, his diving momentum slowed, yet he somehow rose more than half a foot in midair. With a light, silent tap of his foot, he landed on the ground, standing precisely behind one of the porters.

He reached out and seized the porter's shoulder. Before the man could react, Chu Qing struck his acupoints and dragged him into an alley to the side.

He carefully set down the shoulder pole and the Immortal's Drunkenness it carried.

Chu Qing moved with nimble, practiced hands, stripping off the porter's clothes with extreme proficiency. In the blink of an eye, he had put them on himself.

Then he tied the porter's hands behind his back and stuffed something into his mouth.

The effects of sealing acupoints would gradually fade. Once the inner force dispersed, the acupoints would naturally be released.

This was another precaution Chu Qing had taken to keep him from escaping too early.

After settling the man, Chu Qing tucked two taels of silver into his waistband.

After all, he had taken the man's shoulder pole, stolen his clothes, and ruined his day's work.

The man still had to eat, so he had to be given some compensation.

As for why he tucked it into the man's waistband, it was because he feared that if someone discovered him, they might be tempted by the money and create needless complications.

Once everything was done, Chu Qing lifted the shoulder pole. Swaying leisurely as he moved forward, he used his lightness skill to silently catch up to the group ahead.

The entire process flowed like flowing clouds and water. Not a single person noticed anything amiss.